Royal baby: William and Kate expected to leave hospital with new son shortly
- From: News Limited Network
- July 24, 2013
PRINCE William and wife Kate are expected to leave hospital shortly with their new baby son.
Prince Charles and Camilla came to visit their grandson at 5.30 pm local time (1.30am aest).
Dozens or hospital staff were brought out the front of the Lindo wing moments before he arrived in a jaguar.
The first in line to the throne had said earlier he couldn't wait to meet the third in line to the throne. "Have you had a long wait?," he asked hospital staff and media standing by the entrance.
Their arrival was met with euphoric rock-starscreams from onlookers. Charles and Camilla were clearly delighted at being able to visit their grandchild and the reception they received as they smiled broadly and waved to the crowd
The royal baby was earlier visited by Kate's parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, who described him as "absolutely beautiful."
"They are both doing really well and we are so thrilled," Carole Middleton said after spending time with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their child at St Mary's Hospital in central London.
Kate Middleton and Prince William will leave St Mary's Hospital shortly with their newborn son.
Asked if she had suggested a name for the baby, she replied: "Absolutely not!"
The Middletons had arrived by car at the LindoWing at 3pm GMT (1am AEST) for their first taste of grandparenthood.
The Queen is still waiting to meet her new great grandson and heir, as a delirious Britain looks forward to the announcement of the little prince's name.
The future king is expected to be officially introduced to a throng of waiting media and millions around the globe by an ecstatic Prince William and his wife Kate on the steps of St Mary's Hospital in central London.
"We would like to thank the staff at the Lindo Wing and the whole hospital for the tremendous care the three of us have received," the happy parents said in a statement.
"We know it has been a very busy period for the hospital and we would like to thank everyone - staff, patients and visitors - for their understanding during this time."
Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at St Mary's Hospital, Tuesday, July 23, 2013. Picture: Lefteris Pitarakis
A Kensington Palace spokesman gave an update about the Duke and Duchess and their new son: "Mother, son and father are all doing well this morning."
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Our rolling blog contains details of everything related to the royal baby on his first day of life - from celebrity Tweets and Instagram photos to breaking news announcements. Scroll to the bottom of this story.
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Carole and Michael Middleton arrive at The Lindo Wing to visit their daughter Kate and her newborn son. Picture: Peter Macdiarmid
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The newest royal family will then likely leave the hospital for Buckingham Palace so the Queen and other members of the royal family can meet their latest addition.
William and Kate will spend their first days as a family at their unit at Kensington Palace before moving to live with the Middletons for a couple of weeks.
The press release from Kensington Palace announcing the birth of the son of Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, in London.
After waiting in "Lindo limbo" for hours, weathering high humidity and torrential rain showers, the news of a minimum further six hour wait to see Britain's new baby Prince was too much for some.
Damp well-wishers had their hopes dampened when a statement was released at midday that the wait would continue until at least 6pm GMT (4am Wednesday AEST).
Australians Vanessa and Rory Charlston had been excited about witnessing the baby's first public appearance. "It's nice to be part of such a momentous occasion, it's history in he making," Vanessa, 32, said.
But the release of the statement and the prospect of a wait of up to 24 hours saw them change their tune. "Lindo limbo is too much, we're going shopping," Vanessa said as they abandoned their carefully-guarded vantage spot.
The couple hoped to be able to watch it from a warm dry pub instead - if the royals gave them enough notice.
At the crowded main entrance to the hospital an irritated woman vented her own frustrations screaming, "Get out of the bloody way, it's a hospital, people are dying up there."
The words of a royal watcher's celebratory cake summed up the mood.
It was Teba Diatta's second royal bake in two days. The first, baked on Monday, asked Kate to "give us something to celebrate."
Royal baby cake
Royal watcher Teba Diatta baked and iced two cakes to celebrate the royal baby's arrival and birth. Picture: Andrew Cowie Source: AFP
The second cake read "Oh Boy".
"We stayed up all night to get this cake done, driving to five different supermarkets to find icing pens," said Ms Diatta, 31.
Hospital porter Reymar Rondola was called in on his day off to help clean up the street outside the hospital in readiness for the heir's first experience of the outside world.
Princess Diana and Prince Charles leave St Mary's Hospital with a newborn Prince William in 1982.
"It's not my normal job, but I'm happy to do it for the future king," Mr Rondola said while picking up rubbish left by well-wishers and media.
"My colleagues have seen Will and Kate yesterday and said they were so nice and so happy."
Just on 8.30pm London time, Kensington Palace announced a future king had been born four hours earlier at 4.24pm, weighing 8lb 6oz or 3.8kgs with both mum and bub in perfect health.
It was an 11-hour labour after the couple arrived at the hospital shortly after 5.30am local time.
"They are both doing well," a palace spokesman said.
"All the members of their families are absolutely delighted. The duchess and her child are doing well as is Prince William who was with her the whole way through. It has been a wonderful day."
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An easel stands in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace in London on July 22, 2013, to announce the birth of a baby boy, at 4.24pm to Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, at St Mary's Hospital. AFP PHOTO Source: AFP
The news was also announced by a self-appointed Town Crier, Tony Appleton, a 76-year-old from Essex who also took part in the Olympics, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and William and Catherine's wedding.
"It was one of the biggest moments of my life," he told News Corp Australia, as he downed a pint at a London pub.
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A Town Crier reads an announcement about the birth of a baby boy at 4.24pm to Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. AFP PHOTO / ANDREW COWIE Source: AFP
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The news was greeted with wild celebration across the country, notably at the gates of Buckingham Palace where thousands gathered for the theatrical traditional announcement of the birth involving a police-escorted royal courier delivering the signed proclamation to the palace to be displayed on an easel at the gates.
The festivities outside the palace and elsewhere in the capital, including Pall Mall and Trafalgar Square, went on well into the early morning with some not deterred by a huge storm that struck later in the evening. The crowds were gathering again today with people just wanting to be part of the historic celebrations with the birth making it the first time since 1894 that there are three direct male heirs to the throne.
41 gun salute
The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, wearing full dress uniform, fire a 41-gun salute from Green Park. Picture: Tim P. Whitby Source: Getty Images
Canons thundered and church bells rung out across the British capital today in honour of the birth of a future king of England.
Gun salutes are fired for the birth of every prince or princess, no matter where their place is within the line of succession but yesterday huge crowds lined Green Park and the Thames River to see and or hear the salute.
The last royal salute for a birth was for Princess Eugenie in 1990.
In all canons were fired a whopping 103 times, the boom ricocheting across London making for a spectacular sight.
The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, wearing full dress uniform, rode past Buckingham Palace to Green Park where they staged a 41 royal gun salute.
News of the royal birth was also announced by the palace on Twitter which almost collapsed under the weight of more than 487 million users viewing posts, the busiest day in the social media's history.
Surprisingly, only 41 per cent of the posts came from Britain, the rest coming from the United States, Canada and Australia showing the global interest in the event.
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The Sun newspaper’s website changes its name to celebrate the royal birth Source: Supplied
The Queen returned to Buckingham Palace on Monday afternoon just a couple of hours before Prince William rang her to personally tell her the joyous news she had a great grandson. William also rang his father, Prince Charles, brother Prince Harry and Kate's parents Michael and Carole Middleton, who also spoke to their daughter by phone from their home in Bucklebury, 80km west of London.
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Her majesty will on Friday head to Balmoral in Scotland for her annual summer break and it is expected William and Kate, both 31, will share their baby with her before she goes.
Not since Queen Victoria 120 years ago has a reigning monarch seen a great grandchild born in direct succession.
But first the new parents were expected to pose on the steps of the hospital with their baby in their arms to give the world press that has camped outside the Lindo Wing of the hospital for more than three weeks that first public picture of the new third in line to the throne.
Later, 71 horses from the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery are to pull six First World War era 13-pounder field guns through the streets of London to perform a 41-gun royal salute at Green Park near Buckingham Palace.
A second gun salute is to be fired from near the Tower of London. Even the daily changing of the guards at the palace got into the spirit of the birth, performing a special "congratulations" tune.
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Crowds gather to see an easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace in London on July 22, 2013, announcing the birth of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge's baby boy. AFP PHOTO / WILL OLIVER Source: AFP
Prince Charles, a grandad for the first time, on Monday continued his two day tour of York in the north of the country.
He said he was overjoyed at the news.
"It is an incredibly special moment for William and Catherine and we are so thrilled for them on the birth of their baby boy," he said.
"Grandparenthood is a unique moment in anyone's life as countless kind people have told me in recent months so I am enormously proud to be a grandfather for the first time and we are all eagerly looking forward to seeing the baby in the near future."
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Of course the hottest question in town is what the name of the baby will be. Prince William and Kate could make that announcement as early as today. When Diana gave birth to William his name was not made public for a week while Harry's was announced on the steps of the hospital when he was born in 1984. It was a month before the world learned Prince Charles' name when he was born.
"The names of the baby will be announced in due course," was all a palace spokesman would say on the timing for names to be revealed.
Royal family members normally have multiple names, Prince William's for example is William Arthur Philip Louis in homage to various royal relatives.
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The duke and duchess will tell the Queen of their chosen name as a courtesy rather than seeking approval.
"The Queen is so down to earth that she is not likely to jump up and down and insist the baby be called George or Charles," royal writer Christopher Warwick said yesterday.
"This isn't going to be 'granny do you approve?' but more 'these are the names we've chosen do you like them?'."
There are a number of "safe" historical royal names in contention, including George, James, Alexander, Albert, Henry (Prince Harry's real name) and Louis but Francis is believed to be favoured by the royal couple as it is both Kate's father and grandfather's middle name.
Whatever name the royal couple choose it will define an era, and already there are predictions it will set a trend for the next generation
Betting on the baby's name has gone "bonkers" according to British bookies, who have George and James as front runners.
The birth is also expected to spark a $400 million boost to the economy with a rush for royal baby memorabilia which hit the shelves immediatley. Business analysts predicted everything the royal couple buy for bub from the pram to the jumpsuit will be copied by other new families.
Headline writers of most of the British newspapers didn't attempt to wax lyrical with the news, "It's a Boy" most declaring in a simple headline splash.
"Oh Boy One's a Grandfather" stated one newspaper headline with a large photograph of Prince Charles on the cover while The Sun newspaper simply changed its red top banner to "The Son" with an image of the royal proclamation.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said it was an "important moment in the life of our nation''.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said that "we share in the joy of the royal family, particularly Prince Charles on the birth of his grandson and Queen Elizabeth II on the birth of her great-grandchild.
"This is a happy day for our close friends in Britain and the Commonwealth."
Opposition leader Tony Abbott said the birth would be the happiest day of William and Kate's lives.
Mr Abbott, a monarchist, expects all Australians would share their joy in the birth of the new prince.
"While there will come a time to contemplate the constitutional duties that await the young prince, today we simply welcome a baby boy into the world and share the joy of this young family,'' Mr Abbott said in a statement.
"I am sure that over the course of his life, the prince will, like the rest of his family, develop a deep affection for our country, as we already have for him.''
In the US, President Barack Obama and wife Michelle wished William and Catherine "`all the happiness and blessings parenthood brings''.
"The child enters the world at a time of promise and opportunity for our two nations,'' the president said in a White House statement.
"Given the special relationship between us, the American people are pleased to join with the people of the United Kingdom as they celebrate the birth of the young prince.''
The world has paid tribute to the birth of the boy in many ways, even Niagra Falls was lit up in blue.
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